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Soccer Sunday: Your Running Commentary

FiorentinaJuventus (Getty Images)

By JUSTIN FERGUSON

Juventus will kick off this Soccer Sunday with a chance at revenge against the only team they have lost to in their quest for a third straight Serie A title — fourth-place Fiorentina.

First-place Juve lost 4-2 to the Viola in their first meeting this season, but they have been unbeatable in league play since that October match. Sunday’s match at Juventus Stadium will be the first of three March matches between the two sides, who will also square off in the Europa League Round of 16 starting next week.

In England, the last three matches of the FA Cup quarterfinal round will take place today. While Hull City vs. Sunderland is the only Sunday match between a pair of EPL foes, all eyes will be on Ethiad Stadium as Manchester City face the Championship’s Wigan Athletic in a rematch of last season’s FA Cup final. Manchester City are coming off a Capital One Cup final victory at Wembley, and they will need to overcome their foes from last season if they want to return to the famous stadium this season.

Elsewhere, first-place Real Madrid look to extend their lead in La Liga in a home match against eighth-place Levante, who are fighting for a spot in Europe next season. Roma will visit Napoli in a second vs. third battle in Serie A, and Borussia Dortmund hope to keep their momentum going when they visit relegation-threatened Freiburg.

If you will be watching today’s action, please feel free to share your thoughts, opinions and some play-by-play in the comments section below.

Enjoy the action. (Today’s TV schedule is after the jump):

7:30am – Juventus vs. Fiorentina – beIN Sports USA

8am – Sheffield United vs. Charlton Athletic – Fox Soccer Plus

10am – Inter Milan vs. Torino – beIN Sports USA

10am – Hull City vs. Sunderland – Fox Soccer Plus

10:30am – Freiburg vs. Borussia Dortmund – GolTV USA

11am – Ajax vs. Cambuur – ESPN3

12pm – Almeria vs. Sevilla – beIN Sports en Español

12:05pm – Manchester City vs. Wigan Athletic – Fox Sports 2

12:30pm – Mainz vs. Hertha Berlin – GolTV USA

2pm – Real Madrid vs. Levante – beIN Sports USA

3pm – Chivas USA vs. Chicago Fire – UniMas

3pm – Corinthians vs. Sao Paulo – GolTV USA

3:45pm – Napoli vs. Roma – beIN Sports USA

4pm – Valencia vs. Athletic Bilbao – beIN Sports en Español

7pm – Atlante vs. Queretaro – ESPN Deportes/Azteca America

8:30pm – Racing Club vs. Boca Juniors – GolTV USA

Comments

  1. Clear penalty on Chicago. Cubo scores from spot, CHV 1 – 0 CHI. Wow, McNamara scores to add to Chicago’s meltdown.

    If Black Army wants to be a viable Ownership Group candidate, they’re gonna have to come up with better tifo than: “Thanks MLS”

    Reply
  2. Such an odd situation, being an Americans abroad supporter. I support the team like crazy when Jozy is in the lineup and genuinely like some players but when he’s out, I find myself desperately hoping for disaster so he gets back in the lineup. How crazy is that?

    Reply
    • I’m with Mr. Page on this one, I think it’s perfectly rational. The good news from today is that Fletcher and Scocco were not making any strong arguments for inclusion going forward. I shut the match off after the third goal, so I have no idea what Borini was able to do, but judging from the scoreline, it doesn’t look like much.

      Reply
  3. I betcha Poyet is secretly happy with this loss today, or at least relieved. Sunderland’s Number One goal at this point is survival in the PL and the team now has three additional more games to play than other relegation-threatened teams. The last thing Sunderland needs now is yet another Cup battle and to end up like Wigan last year, winning a Cup but now mired in the second division.

    Reply
    • Probably But I am sure the fans are pissed.

      Not very often a team like Sunderland gets this far in the FA cup.

      Poyet did a terrible job from picking the starting 11 to the subs.

      Reply
  4. About to see JK speak at a sxsw panel, Topic includes “Knocking down the door, the US National Team and Americas World Cup dreams”.

    What questions should I bring to him via SBI?

    Prob wont get a chance to ask a question, but I will try.

    Reply
    • Why does the USMNT under Klinsmann take so few shots on goal? Why a huge percentage of all passes are backward passes?

      Reply
      • THIS!!!!

        I really wish people would take off the rose colored glasses and actually look at the team, or should I say teams, that JK has been fielding and their play on the field.

        I have only seen two games where they looked sharp, focused, determined, organized and hungry. The rest of the time the team looks disjointed, unproductive, timid, unsure of itself and generally lost.

        Our strong wing play is gone. We used to dominate set pieces. We used to counter with pace. There used to be “never say die” attitude.

        All that is gone to be replaced by knocking the ball around the back, a few nice passes through the middle, usually provided by MB90 or FJ, which only happen after the team is down and a lack of finishing and direction in the final third.

        Just watch the games. The team has taken huge steps backwards under JK. Maybe the development side is improving but the results on the field are not impressive.

        Who cares if we kick the hell out of Belize and Cuba? They are meaningless wins. The proof will be in Brazil. The team is going to get killed in our group. No goals. No victories.

      • That would be a goofy question to ask seeing as it’s not factual in any capacity.

        We broke our gold cup scoring record by 7 goals. We had 11 more this past year than during Bradley’s 2011 run.

        We led all teams in Hex scoring.

        In 2013, we had 10 different players with 2 or more goals. 6 different players with 5 or more goals.

      • The team struggled outside of the US. We could only beat Costa Rica due to snow.

        Costa Rica killed us at home. Mexico didn’t win but we looked TERRIBLE that game. Couldn’t string together two passes.

        We Panama at their home because they let the game get away from them.

        JK was the first coach to ever lose to Jamaica.

        Not to mention we are qualifying in CONCACAF. Our region is a total joke and everyone knows it.

        Get over your numbers and actually look at the play on the field. The team is totally disjointed and unsure of itself.

      • Costa Rica killed us at their* home…

        Typo due to my total disgust at your blindness.

        US fans are so highly uninformed…

        The World Cup will prove me right and you all will have to eat crow.

      • calling out all US fans as uninformed all the time still? as if you are so informed? we will all eat crow? why pit yourself against everyone all the time as if there are only 2 perspectives on everything…yours and everyone else’s?

        you really believe that ONLY you can see what’s going on?

        geez get over yourself and come back to earth

      • Based on the things most of you write, I would say I am one of the only people who see what is going on.

        Over at MLS.com there are others who agree with me.

        This board suffers from bullying and herd-mentality.

      • herd mentality? ridiculous considering the tete a tete’s that go down here every weekend! Tons of healthy disagreement here, wtf are you talking about?

      • That last game was about individual performances and how they play with each other. If we won, good, if not then learning how these players played with each other was more valuable. I think he already knows who his starting 11 is. He just needs to find out who the other 12 are going to be and how they play well together. From the last match, I think he learned a lot about who is ready and who is not.

        When has the USA ever won at Costa Rica? How has the U.S. performed at Azteca? They got their first win under JKs reign (albeit a friendly), and also got a draw in World Cup Qualifying, which has only happened one other time in our history. Pretty awesome performance record if you ask me unless you expect us to start playing like Spain and Brazil. If there is anyone who can give us a chance to get us through the group of death, it is Klinsmann.

      • Since the shots on goal issue has been addressed, let me address the backward pass issue. Sometimes coaches tell players things and they fall on deaf ears. If you and USAALLTHEWAY paid attention, you would have read several times where Klinsmannm has criticized his players for too much negative play. He also has continually emphasized that the defensive backs should play the ball out of the back by passes to the midfielders instead of long “hit and hope” passes up field. Yet they often continue to do just what he doesn’t want. Old habits die hard. I remember that Pia Sundhage had the same problem with the Women’s team before and during their last WC. She kept telling them she wanted more ball control and possession and they would do it for a while, then lapse back into their old patterns. You don’t change culture over night.

      • I watch all of the USMNT games.

        I see the centerbacks passing the play out of the back all the time.

        You know what happens when they do? It gets passed right back to them by the defensive midfielders. Then to the kick it up the field.

        The team is playing poorly because of JK’s inability to organize the team. We don’t have world-class players but we have solid players.

        And why does anyone think that we needed to change the style of play in the first place? That style of play is what brought us our greatest victories.

      • you make some good points in this post imo, but your position that you know all and no one else does is stupid

      • name names man. I can name you a whole bunch who are on target here most of the time. No one shoots 100% tho

      • This style of play that has worked so well previously is out of date, and will not bring us to the next level you want to win an world cup? Well, you have to progress and evolve. To get better, there is a learning curve involved and it takes time to get there. There will be ups and downs and growing pains, but that is part of getting better. I’m sorry, but parking the bus is not going to make us better. It makes sit, wait, and hope the other team makes a mistake. You want to win? You control the games, which involves controlling the possession, passing the ball around, and making the other team chase you. We have played such terrible kickball for years that it takes time for everyone to adjust.

        Now, in regards to concacaf, the region is getting better so it is inevitable we will lose games we never lost before. Jamaica has players now in Europe, and they are only going to get better. Your points are so narrow and you are looking for immediate gratification, but the more important is the long term. But, it seems you have trouble understanding that.

      • Boot ball will never win us a world cup. It is boring to watch and a dead end strategy. You seem to be the only one who is so impatient that you can’t deal with the transition to a more ball possession style of soccer.

        It’s not going to happen overnight.

        Your constant bashing of JK is just stupid. He is our coach now, he will be our coach for another 4 years and we don’t want to hear your constant BS about Klinsman. Give them a chance for goodness sake we have not even seen the full team yet. Your stupid rants are not going to change the coarse of US soccer. Your bashing of concacaf is also pointless. Just shut up already ..you have ruined this website with your drivel.. please go away before you kill this website completely.

      • Anger management son. You need it greatly.

        So much rage over a sport. Poor, lost soul.

        JK has had over three years. The team looks just as poor during his first games as it does now. If he has made some improvements, I would agree. I don’t see any.

        Getting so angry about other people’s opinions is not a good sign. Learn to control that before it controls you.

      • Your evidence is anecdotal and horribly cherry picked.

        It’s interesting you single out matches at costa rica and azteca to criticize JK when no coach in usmnt history has had success at those places.

        And yes, we beat up some minnows in 2013, but that’s better than not beating up minnows the way we didn’t in 2009:

        us 4 0 grenada

        us 2 0 honduras

        us 2 2 haiti

        us 2 1 panama (OT)

        us 2 0 honuras

        us 0 5 mexico

        And if you’re going lend weight to friendly losses, then you also have to admit friendly victories:

        us 3 2 slovenia in slovenia

        us 1 0 italy in italy

        us 1 0 mexico at the azteca

        us 2 2 russia in russia

        us 4 3 germany

        us 4 3 bosnia in bosnia

        Of course you’ll ignore all that and only acknowledge evidence that confirms your established opinion.

      • The only one I’ll give you is Italy. That was a great game, although a bit sloppy.

        Germany’s team was their “C” team at best. Not to mention how the US was winning and then gave up goals when the Germans really started to care.

        Bosnia subbed 6 players at half time. That is more than half of the team. Enough said.

        Russia was absolutely embarrassing the USMNT. Just running circles around us. It was a nightmare. The second half tie was lucky at best, although MB90 and Juan stood out for sure.

        As for Mexico, Jamaica also tied them in Azteca. I do believe other teams in CONCAFAC tied them during this cycle. Speaks more to Mexico’s poor form that the USMNT playing well.

        Slovenia was a decent game. I’ll give you that one as well.

        You simply see what you want to see. I see a disjointed, unorganized, timid, formless team scraping out victories and ties. Nothing to write home about. Nothing to make me feel confident about the World Cup or the general direction of the team or JK coaching abilities.

      • Wait, you are accusing others of seeing what they want to see while pointing to a single loss in the best year in USMNT history as evidence of the coach needing to be fired.

        Just, wow.

      • “Germany’s team was their C team”

        “Bosnia subbed 6 players”

        “Russia etc etc”

        So none of our successes count, but all of our losses are meaningful. Got it.

      • I agree with you usaalltheway. I to believe we could have a better coach. What made the biggest impression on me was when, during the friendly with Ukraine, the camera isolated on our coach. He looked out of it, like he had a question but not the answer. He wasn’t in the game. On the other hand, during games when the camera goes on a coach whose team is behind it is much different. The coach is active, engaged, into the action.

      • Forgive them usaalltheway, not only have many drank Klinsi’s cool-ade they also have paid for it, drank it and said: “thank you, can I buy another”. One thing Klinsi is good, great even, at doing is selling his cool-ade.

        Heck, Bayern Munich even bought a glass. But they didn’t like the taste and didn’t drink the whole glass.

      • I agree with expat sunil should fire jk immediately for his suboptimal sideline facial expressions.

      • Perhaps but lets face it, forget Champions league how many players do we even have playing regularly in a top 4 league. Fabian and Cameron?

  5. That is good news, that Jozy was left off the roster for injury and would have started today otherwise, assuming that it is something minor and that Jozy will be set to go next weekend against Cystal Palace. It could be that Poyet, knowing that Jozy had international duty with the USMNT, is being rested for the final dash to the finish line in Sunderland’s attempt to avoid the drop. Sunderland has as of this weekend only played 26 games while most other teams have played 29, meaning that Sunderland has three games to make up during midweek play between regularly scheduled games on weekends. Poyet, I hope, sees Jozy as a key player in these last relegation battle games and wants him good to go. Not often I agree with what’s his face up above, but it does seem that Poyet is trying to light a fire under Jozy’s you-know-what and I would not bet against it working. I think we see good performances from Jozy beginning next weekend.

    Reply
  6. From the first half of their FA Cup quarterfinal, Sunderland still look disjointed in the attack. Fletcher not combining well and virtually invisible; Giaccherini occasionally dangerous but generally finds a way to squander his good work; Scocco with two bad touches on what could have been promising looks; Larsson producing poor crosses; Colback’s not been extremely active.

    Cattermole is really looking like a quality player today, making some great diagonal passes to unlock the Hull defense and being the conduit through which all forward motion runs for the Black Cats. Defense has been strong in the center, with the fullbacks getting forward decently well, but Dossena on the left is clearly a target for the Hull attack and regularly getting exposed by Elmohamady. Ustari playing well, saved a penalty conceded by Larsson.

    I’d be surprised if they pulled off a win, but it’s not completely unfathomable. Sunderland’s defense looks reasonably solid but, as always, they’re having a lot of trouble putting it together in the final third. Hopeful news, though: the amount of 30-yard shots has dramatically decreased and they’re at least trying to get it done on the ground or from crosses (which have largely been poor).

    Reply
    • So, all in all it’s the same old Sunderland just without Jozy on the field.

      In other words, Sunderland sucks but now they can’t blame Jozy.

      Jozy needed to be better all season but Sunderland is such a joke it’s not even funny.

      Poor Jozy. He is a solid player but he mentality is not sharp enough and doesn’t fight it out enough. That goal opportunity against Newcastle was a great example of that.

      Here is hoping to a return and some goals but I doubt it. It’s Sunderland after all.

      Reply
      • Sunderland is not very good, yes, but I’ll refrain from making any broad statements about Jozy based on his last few months’ of performances. Give him a good World Cup and we’ll all happily crow about his determination, drive, and killer instinct again.

      • I think Jozy is a great player but doesn’t have the game for the EPL. Good strikers on bad teams find ways to score goals. Jozy hasn’t done that, even when he had chances, which admittedly have been few and far between.

        Maybe Jozy can thrive in Germany or Italy. I just hope to hell he doesn’t go back to the MLS.

        As for the USMNT, that is a lost cause. They team is completely disjointed, unmotivated, lost and poorly coached. They will totally bomb out of the group. JK just can’t get the team together and at this point there are no more excuses.

      • Such a lame comment about the us team. With the group they have any single team could bomb out, not just the us

      • Such a lame excuse about the group. You can not make it out of the group and not bomb out. I’m afraid this US team wouldn’t make it out of any group.

      • Since 1990, every time the WC has been play3ed outside of Europe, the US has advanced out of its group. kConsidering that the US team scored its most points ever and had the best record ever for one year in 2013, this is clearly the best US team ever. If they don’t make it out of the group, it will because statistics have shown that this is the toughest group in the WC. Facts do not support your opinions. Take your hate elsewhere.

      • What is lame how you can’t address my points. You don’t agree, no problem but address my points.

        Stop with the excuses. The team has the players. JK just can’t make it work because he doesn’t have the coaching skill set that is needed to make it work.

      • Doesn’t JK’s U.S. record speak for itself? A Gold Cup, #1 one in the hex, and setting win streak records for the USMNT. I think he is doing everything that we brought him in to do. I wouldn’t put too much into the Ukraine loss as we were in experimentation mode (to determine the last few spots on the team). Ukraine is a good team that outplayed our B-side.

      • JH,

        No the numbers don’t speak for themselves at all.

        That Gold Cup victory was against CONCACAF minnows. We barely beat Costa Rica to get pass the group stage. Beating up on Belize and Cuba aren’t impressive.

        As for the best record in US history, those numbers are misleading. The US lost it’s away games to Honduras, Costa Rica and barely tied a tired and lame-looking Mexico.

        JK also has the honor of being the first coach to lose to Jamaica.

        The US looks alright at home but can’t kept it together on the road.

        The game against Ukraine was just one more example of how awful the team is right now.

      • You really should have your comment stored somewhere so you can just cut and paste and not waste a lot of time writing out what you keep saying all the time. As I pointed out before, only 2 things count–qualifyiing for the WC and how well you do when you get there. The US had the most points ever in qualifying and had the best record in history in 2013. The facts do not support your conclusions.

      • The USMNT qualifies in the second-easy region in the world. We play teams like Panama, Jamaica and Honduras. In other regional tournament we play teams like Cuba and Belize.

        Get over the numbers and actually OPEN YOUR EYES.

        Qualifying should never be questioned. It sure very much be a given, apart from playing Mexico and Costa Rica. Those are the only other teams in the region who are decent.

        If you keep resting on just qualifying and winning a game or two in the Cup, or just playing “well” or will always be a loser.

        Loser talk about doing their best. Winners go home and f&*k the prom queen. Your mentality is very much in the former camp.

        Good luck with that! I want to see 2002 mentality and level of play EVER CYCLE. We are the USA after all. We have one of the strongest sporting cultures in the entire world. We should be one of the best. The excuses are lame and tired.

      • Honduras is a pretty good team. Mexico did not qualify until the US scored that late goal vs. Panama. Qualifying not the automatic you are pretending it is, don’t care what region a team plays in

        that is the mentality required

      • Beachbum,

        Honduras is not that good of a team.

        Our region is so terrible and both Mexico and the USMNT have been so terrible as of late that it makes them seem better than they are.

        Brazil proved that clearly a while back. 5-0

        The only team in the region the US should really be worried about is Costa Rica since Mexico fell apart.

        Qualifying should very much be a given. The team shouldn’t be lazy but questioning if the team can get to the World Cup is not even up for discussion.

        The US wouldn’t get to the World Cup if it was in Europe, Africa or South America.

      • I did not say our region was great but for us it’s plenty competitive, and Honduras going to the WC again. Mexico is WAY better now that they have changed their lineup…are you aware what they have done?

        regarding qualifying is a given, no offense my man, but that take alone reveals a lack of understanding

      • “good strikers on poor teams find ways to score goals”

        This may be true for elite strikers. Can you think of any examples though?

        But more importantly, shouldnt todays result end all of these sweeping assumptions about Jozy’s abilities? These guys got 2 shots on goal with Fletcher playing the entire game alongside two other forwards. 5 total shots, 2 shots on goal, zero goals.

      • The “good strikers score for poor teams” bit is often true and one of the best examples actually plays for sunderland: steven fletcher.

        2010-2011 10 goals (wolves)

        2011-2012 12 goals (wolves)

        2012-2013 11 goals (sunderland)

        The fact that fletcher isn’t scoring either is the best evidence that the problem lies with the entire team.

      • Jozy had one less goal last year than fletcher had in the past 3 combined…. haha so what does that prove???…..

      • Mr. way,

        You are judging the USMNT on one exhibition where the team was missing more than half the starters and was clearly experimenting with the lineup and some players.

        It was a poor performance but that in itself is part of the process of finding out what JK needs to find out.

        Unlike some other countries, the US talent pool is third rate and JK is still in the process of auditioning potential backups while trying to get some struggling starters, Dempsey and Altidore, some playing time.

        If you think this 11 or this 23 is the 23 that will be in Brazil three months from now then you are clearly delusional. And if you don’t then you are just looking to generate conversation because you are bored.

        As for being poorly coached and organized, maybe for one experimental game but not in general.

        The US is very well coached. The players may not be up to it but they are well coached. There are those who disagree with you:

        http://espnfc.com/news/story/_/id/1740182/chelsea-jose-mourinho-says-us-create-problems-world-cup-report?cc=5901

        http://sports.yahoo.com/video/jos-mourinho-u-soccer-jurgen-070313126.html

      • Mr. way,

        You are judging the USMNT on one exhibition where the team was missing more than half the starters and was clearly experimenting with the lineup and some players.

        It was a poor performance but that in itself is part of the process of finding out what JK needs to find out.

        Unlike some other countries, the US talent pool is third rate and JK is still in the process of auditioning potential backups while trying to get some struggling starters, Dempsey and Altidore, some playing time.

        If you think this 11 or this 23 is the 23 that will be in Brazil three months from now then this must be your first World Cup.

        And if you don’t then you are just looking to generate conversation because you are bored.

        As for being poorly coached and organized, maybe for one experimental game but not in general.

        The US is very well coached. The players may not be up to it but they are well coached. There are those who disagree with you:

        link to espnfc.com

        link to sports.yahoo.com

    • Cattermole does his best to make me look like an idiot by passing the ball back directly to Fryatt for the third unanswered Hull goal. He has been everywhere today, though. Sunderland has been slowly breaking down this second half and even with the substitutions of Borini and Johnson, it’s all just academic at this point. We’ll see what the Premier League has in store for them now that they’re down to only one competition.

      Reply
      • To avoid moderation: Cattermole does his best to make me look like an !diot by passing the ball back directly to Fryatt for the third unanswered Hull goal. He has been everywhere today, though. Sunderland has been slowly breaking down this second half and even with the substitutions of Borini and Johnson, it’s all just academic at this point. We’ll see what the Premier League has in store for them now that they’re down to only one competition.

      • Ya, I saw your early comment. I thought it polite to let it go. But now I am complimenting your humility so its okay right?

      • Haha, thanks for the leniency. To be completely honest, though, I might even take that performance from him even with the stupid back pass. Perhaps my feelings would have been different if it had been that goal that broke the deadlock, though.

      • You ain’t seen nothin’ yet. Wait until Wednesday, when Arsenal pounds the most arrogant team in the world 3-1 and moves to the next round in the Champions League. That will be a bigger celebration. Can’t wait to see the Bayern boys prone on their backs after the game bawling like babies. Gunner be so sweet.

      • LOL biff. If you are right about this you can make a ton of money. Oddschecker, a collection of book makers, most based in England has these odds:

        Arsenal to win the match in Munich: 10:1, a 100 quid will get you 1000. by the way, of the 8 matches in CL, only one team has higher odds against winning their match, Schalke is 18:1

        But here is the way you should bet. Put your money on the Special Outrights. Arsenal is a whooping 41:1 to advance. (Bayern on the other hand is a 1:25, you have to bet 25 quid to win 1). That way a 100 quid bet will get you…………..wait for it………..4100.

        I do love the color of those glasses you wear though, very cute.

      • I highly doubt it. Not impossible but I doubt it. I even think Arsenal has a decent shot at winning the game but advance? Prolly not.

      • Okay Increase, as a Big Bayern fan I will give you that. Yes, Arsenal has a chance to win the game.

      • Lol no way. I mean not as long as Real and Barsca are around. I mean Bayern are Arrogant but they lack the decades of building ego into an art form.(Deservedly recently)

        Barcelona playing their “perfect” way no matter the cost. They stand not only for beautiful football but for the lives lost in the Spanish Civil war in the fight for Freedom!

        Think about the Decade of the Galacticos at Real. The “Best” players in the world must be there because $$$$!

        Quite Frankly, Its Real Madrid. No one is more entitled, and more blind to their own history.(Hurray benefiting from Fascism.)

      • Expat4455 says:

        “btw Increase, Do you agree with biff, that Bayern is the most arrogant team in the world?”

        ar•ro•gant, adjective, having or revealing an exaggerated sense of one’s own importance or abilities.

        In the past 50 years Bayern’s record compares favorably with any other club in the world. They just won the treble. They have as many top class players as anyone. Currently, they are capable of winning any competition they enter.

        If they are not the best club in the world they are certainly in the very short conversation.

        Those who support Bayern and Bayern themselves do not have an “exaggerated sense of their abilities”

        It is not arrogant if Bayern can do what they say they can. And we all know they are capable.

      • That’s a good question Tony. Arsenal playing second tier Wigan, and with a win will play lower table Hull or 3rd tier Scheffield United.

        However, do you think Arsenal is better than Man City who lost to Wigan today?

      • Sunderland is just bad. Ki is their best player and i cant believe swansea let him go on loan. Suprising that when ki left, swansea faltered?

    • Thanks for all of us who can’t get Fox Soccer Plus. My first thought was, wow, Cattermole is their best player today? Man the rest of the team must be really bad for that to be the case. For those who have forgotten, Cattermole was benched for several games because of really poor play. Lee Red Card Cattermole.

      Reply
      • To be completely honest, Cattermole has been miles better lately. After some very disappointing performances early, he has been a bright spot for them in their recent disappointing run.

  7. Poyet seems to think Borini and this other guy with no EPL experience from Argentina will be able to keep them up.

    I wish all the haters would just give it up already though. Under the previous manager Sunderland were very poor and Fletcher and Jozy failed to do anything of note. You can add the entire team to that list. Under Poyet, he likes to use a target striker and have the wingers play off of said striker. Both Fletcher AND Jozy are not suited to this game. I wonder if anyone on this site ever watched Brighton play as it was the same style. He also brought in a striker from Argentina or someone in South America in the January transfer window last year.

    Without actual good wingers (sorry but Johnson isn’t very good and neither is Borini) the striker in this set up was never going to get any love. Also, with the right or left back unable to get forward and cross the ball (Alonso has helped a bit) the striker will also get no love. How many shots does that lump on the right have this year? Bardsley? Good lord he is horrible…

    Watching the US-Ukraine game the other day, a cross actually got into Jozy and he put a head on it. I honestly can’t remember the last time I saw that at Sunderland. The crosses are always too deep, or in the stands, or blocked away.

    It was a bad move for Jozy but it’s not like he is a bad player. He’s just one part of a mess of team. This game is all about what’s around you, unless you are Suarez/Ronaldo/Messi and can make your own magic.

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    • I was watching Italy vs. Spain last Wednesday and Giaccharini came on in the second half and a commentator said that some Italian fans wonder why their national team coach likes Giacc since he can’t even start for Sunderland. I think that he is Sunderland’s most creative player. Maybe it’s not the individual player, but the team and the system. I wonder if the posters here have ever played on a bad team. I was never that great, but once I was on a bad team where I was maybe the second or third best player. This was 40 years ago and I still remember when I made a pass right to a teammate’s feet and he kicked it out of bounds but the coach yelled at me. I think Jozy is kind of in that situation.

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      • When I first started playing, I was the best goalie in town and would always get put on the worst team in the rec league and get scored at least 3 goals no matter how good I was playing but I was also the starter for the travel team and we were very good.

        I feel for Jozy, he’s a good player but the team he’s on has too many selfish players who overestimate their own talent and make a ton of dumb mistakes.

      • In my adult league I am the best player on the team ( not saying much) and yesterday they couldnt get the ball to me save their life. It was bad. I had drop all the way back and try to get up myself… it was horrible we lost. Altidore is not playing great…but saying his teammates are horrible is an understatement.

    • Can we seriously get past all the jozy hate? It’s getting really old. I think we’d all be better off without having to hear it week in and week out

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      • Most of us get only Fox Sports and NBCSports so the only thing we have to complain about is the EPL and FA Cup. Jozy is the only American in the EPL (right?)so he gets the attention.

        As we soccer fans are generally miserable, know-it-all, loner types Jozy gets the hate.

        Perhaps I am projecting mysefl too much on others.

      • thanks Andy – I forgot about Cameron and Stoke – but Stoke plays such an atrocious style, I get some leeway for forgetting, right?

      • Sure, but GC has been playing all year, and doing well for his club.

        I have changed my mind: the slight is unforgiveable on my part. I would flip myself off if I were Brek Shea

      • Other than Cameron, he’s the only field player. Of course, Howard and Guzan are entrenched in goal for Everton and Aston Villa, respectively.

  8. Well done Fox on your stellar coverage of the Magic of the FA cup! I look forward to watching reruns of Fox Sports Live and Ultimate Fighter Nations!

    Useless.

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